Hot Pakora Recipes during Monsoon

During monsoon, our hearts start yearning for something spicy and crunchy to munch on. Even those who are very health-conscious cannot resist munching on just a pakoda or two with their evening chaai! Indeed, savoury snacks like pakore are as much a part of our lifestyle as mithai is part of our culture. We have been brought up on tasty snacks like these, which accompany friendly banter, lively chats, and in general offer the perfect environment to bond with friends and family!

Understandably, Indian cuisine offers a rather large variety of savoury snacks, ranging from bhajias like Crispy Potato Bhajias and pakora like Moong Dal Pakoda, Paneer Pakoda to vadas like the Masala Vadas and murukku. Some of these are made with veggies dipped in batters while some are made with just flour-based or dal-based batters or dough. While some are perked up with spice powders, others make use of fresh ingredients, whole spices and herbs for a punchy flavour and aroma.

In short, there is so much on offer, you can find the perfect bhajia or pakode to suit your taste, or have a different variety each time you wish to! We offer you a selection of pakodas and bhajias that you can serve at parties, relish with friends and family, or just to pamper yourself on a rainy day.

hot pakora recipes pakoda recipe

A batter of soaked moong dal perked up with spices and green chillies results in a delicious deep-fried snack, which is partly crispy, partly soft and partly chewy too. The Moong Dal Pakoda, with its unique texture, is an all-time favourite ware sold by the roadside food vendors of Mumbai. Part of the magic is worked by the combination of chutneys that it is served with, so make sure you include them in your serving plans.

While traveling across the Punjab one comes across the one of the most delicious yet simple snack. . . The pakoda.
Pakodas can be made from nearly any vegetable be it spinach, onions, cauliflower, potatoes and even chilies by dipping them in a seasoned batter of besan and then deep-frying.
Pakodas taste best when eaten piping hot. Paneer makes great pakodas that melt in your mouth. Chutney is the perfect accompaniment to this wonderful snack that is sure to leave you, your family and guests licking their fingertips.
A perfect choice for a High Tea Party . Serve along with crunchies like Herbed Sticks , Jowar Til Nimki , Soya and Til Crispies or Baked Chaklis .

Crispy bhajias made with grated potatoes, perked up with green chillies and coriander! It is interesting to note that this Crispy Potato Bhajia is held together purely by the starch in the grated potatoes and does not use any other binder like boiled potatoes, plain flour or cornflour. This makes it all the more crispier. But, there are some things you need to take care of to make sure the bhajias don’t disintegrate.
Firstly, you need to squeeze out any water from the grated potatoes before including the other ingredients. Also, you need to add the salt only at the very end, just before you deep-fry the bhajias because the mixture will start letting out water after you add the salt. So, to save time, keep the oil on the stove and start preparing the other ingredients, so that by the time oil is hot enough, the remaining ingredients will be ready. You can add the salt and start frying the bhajias.
Indeed, a perfect snack to have garma garam with a hot cup of Masala Chai !

Come to South India, especially Tamil Nadu, and you cannot miss the appetizing aroma of Masala Vadas being fried at tea stalls in almost every street corner! Masala Vada is an all-time favourite evening snack across Tamil Nadu. It is enjoyed hot with coconut chutney and a cup of tea or coffee.
You will have no difficulty in getting it, because it is available in every tea stall, most bakeries and restaurants too. However, there is nothing like homemade Masala Vada, made with chana dal, fennel seeds, onions and other readily available ingredients like curry leaves and green chillies. Prepare it on a weekend, and you will find the whole family flocking around the stove for more of these hot and spicy vadas.
Serve with Coconut Chutney or Tomato Chutney .

Pakodas without besan? Just try the Rice and Peanut Pakoda and you will fall in love with it! A mix of cooked rice, crunchy peanuts and coconut bound together with rice flour and enhanced with flavour-givers like green chilli paste, coriander and lemon juice, are used to make crisp and spicy pakodas that one simply cannot resist.

For those who thought Vada Pav and Pav Bhaji to be the only bread-based roadside snacks, Bread Pakoda is sure to be an eye-opener.
Although these batter-fried bread fritters are available all over the country, Mumbai’s street-side vendors have their signature creations, which are a class apart. Prepared with or without fillings such as aloo and green peas, this mouth-watering deep-fried snack gets all the more exciting when topped with a variety of chutneys. Enjoy it hot and fresh off the Kadhai customized to your taste.
A perfect snack to have to have as an evening tea snack with a cup of hot Masala Chai or cool Falooda .

Crispy and flavourful pakodas made of yam, potatoes and crushed peanuts, the Kand Aloo Pakoda is good company for a cup of hot masala chai on a cold winter’s day.
The peanuts not only add an exciting flavour to these yam pakodas, they also make the texture more cheery. The best part is that this tasty treat can be enjoyed in fasting days as well.

A mixture of yam and besan perked up with peanuts, red chillies and onions is used to make scrumptious pakodas, which have a unique crunch brought about by the yam.
A teaspoon of fennel seeds along with coriander and curry leaves give the Yam Fritters a lip-smacking flavour and tantalising aroma. Just ensure that you make the pakodas as soon as you mix the ingredients, as the batter tends to get watery if left for long. The Suran Pakoda is perfect to serve as a tea-time snack .

Well, nobody would ever be able to guess that this delicacy is made from leftover khichdi! So crispy outside and so delectably chewy inside, this flavourful treat is made by reinforcing moong dal khichdi with besan and a few aroma and flavour enhancers like sesame seeds and coriander, shaping this ‘dough’ into balls and deep-frying till crisp. The besan helps the khichdi dough stay together and cook uniformly, while the remaining ingredients add to its taste. Serve these Khichdi Pakodas hot and fresh with green chutney, or when you are in a hurry, just a squirt of tomato ketchup.